Monday, January 7, 2008

Spidey Got the Boot!

The re-boot, that is (and I'm not talking about the vastly under appreciated, late-90s Canadian CGI TV show, no-sir... nerd alert). No, as those who follow this wonderful corner of the geekdom universe are painfully aware (and, perhaps, as new info for those unfortunate souls who have unknowingly stumbled upon this page), Spider-Man just experienced the dubious glory that is the Cosmic Reset Button. Just what is this button, you may ask? Simple - it's that magic (and I imagine red, almost candy-colored) button that a writer can press in times of need (or, more specifically, convenience) in order to undo any plot point/character/story/etc etc they so desire. Just watch an episode or two of Star Trek (esp the crap-tacular Voyager) to see the Cosmic Reset Button in action - when Kirk/Picard/Sisqo (is that how you spell it?) / Janeway (oh how I wish Janeway) dies before the first commercial break yet is all piss and vinegar and everything is status quo by the end of the episode, you too will know the magic of the Button.

Yet I digress, as usual. Essentially, the last twenty-odd years of Spider-Man history never happened, the biggest being that Peter and Mary Jane are no longer married, and Peter is back to pretty much how he appears in the recent films (even Spider-Man 3... sigh), sans those crappy organic web-shooters. And as much as the fanboy in me LOVES to complain, to be perfectly honest, after a bit of thought on the matter (and NO, I don't sit around thinking about these things all day... honestly) coupled with a bit of sage wisdom by the lovely and talented Heidi made me realize that this isn't such a bad thing. Yes, the method by which they pressed the magic Button was a bit hokey, but it takes the characer back to where he needs to be. Simple - a kid struggling with money, girls, and the responsibility that his powers bring. Spider-Man has been bogged down ever since his marriage, what with the clone saga, Venom, more Venom, then Carnage, Kraven killed him, he was reborn with Spider-Totem powers (WTF?), he unmasked to the world (booo), etc etc. And people wonder why I don't want to get married.

As an aside, Adam over at Comics Ink made the observation that if Mary Jane can trick the devil, then who CAN'T?! Classic.